The David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire is at risk of closure with the National Trust for Scotland saying they will end their management by the end of next month unless someone else wipes out a £100,000 deficit. The Centre has been open for 80 years and last year it received almost 20,000 visitors.

The Scotland Malawi Partnership has called for urgent action to prevent the closure of the Centre in Blantyre as it plays a unique role in Scottish life. David Livingstone is an emblem of Scotland's long history of interaction with Africa and is revered in such countries as Malawi and Zambia. At a time when Scotland is looking to its internationalism as a key resource for the future, it would be short-sighted to allow the Centre to close. In Malawi a major celebration of the 150th anniversary of Livingstone's historic arrival in that country is about to take place. As Malawians look to Scots to partner with them in their struggle against poverty, they would be dismayed to hear of a threat to the Centre which gives expression to the bond between the two nations. We urge the National Trust to keep the Centre open while efforts are made to ensure that its financial basis is secure for the future.

The Hamilton Advertiser has launched a petition to save the centre. To read more about the campaign and to download the petition forms see:
http://tinyurl.com/davidlivingstone

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